Two Mascots?

Trouble had broken out here, and the Kingsguard came rushing over.

Aemon's eyes darted as he raised his voice and shouted, "My father is campaigning in the Stepstones for the kingdom, rescuing those innocent people who were kidnapped! If anyone has a problem with that, come find me at Runestone!"

A fight was a fight, but he could not leave any leverage behind.

Pointing at the terrified old harridans, he rebuked them with perfect justification. "Is the Redwyne Family of Arbor not engaged in maritime trade? Or do they lack a fleet to confront the Stepstones?"

"Not only do you refuse to serve the kingdom, you have no right to gossip about others behind their backs!"

His argument was airtight, but the impact was somewhat diminished by his childish face and childish voice.

Still, none of that mattered. It was enough that he held the moral high ground.

After pointing fingers at them for a while, he had belittled them into utter worthlessness.

By tomorrow, a new joke would be spreading across the continent.

Alicent stood frozen in place, looking flustered and helpless.

"Hmph, I'm getting out of here first."

With a toss of his head, Aemon fled the large tent.

After gaining an advantage, he had to run. If he stayed, there definitely would not be any good fruit juice left for him.

Someone would clean up after him.

He had slipped away, but those who had witnessed the scene could not ignore it.

Viserys wore a marvelous expression as he stared blankly at the old women rolling around on the ground without a shred of dignity.

They had really just been beaten like that?

"Your Majesty."

Lyonel reacted swiftly and leaned close to explain the matter truthfully.

After hearing him out, Viserys forced a smile and gave Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Ser Harrold a look.

Ser Harrold understood at once and stepped forward on the King's behalf to resolve the matter.

Before long, the injured old women were led away by maesters for treatment, and the large tent fell quiet.

Viserys felt both pleased and troubled, shaking his head with a private chuckle.

As expected of Daemon's son—fearless in exactly the same way.

Yet he was not angry.

Who could blame a good child who knew how to defend his family and protect his own daughter?

Elsewhere.

Aemon darted out of the large tent and happened to run into the patrolling Ser Steve.

Perfect.

Aemon beamed and called out, "Ser, come help me."

With the Kingswood Hunt underway today, the guard detail was short-handed.

One White Knight would be enough.

Ser Steve hurried over at his call and asked respectfully, "Prince, what can I help you with?"

"Mom's hunting in the King's Wood. Take me for a ride."

Aemon looked utterly serious.

Ignoring Ser Steve's hesitant expression, he set off without giving him a chance to object.

After hitting someone, of course he had to make a getaway.

Not that he was afraid of being punished.

The moment he struck, he had known someone would shield him.

Now he only needed to be as slippery as a little loach, making it easier for Uncle Viserys to "show favoritism."

He was just an eight-year-old child acting up, that was all.

"Prince, hold on tight."

Unable to refuse, Ser Steve led a handsome white horse from the stables, lifted the prince aboard, and rode off in a cloud of dust.

Before long, they entered the King's Wood.

The trees grew thick and lush, birds chirped endlessly, and the path was sparsely traveled.

Adhering to the Kingsguard's strict standards, Ser Steve asked why the prince had been in such a hurry.

The honest, good-natured man nearly fell from the saddle after hearing the answer.

Holding the reins, Aemon comforted him, "Don't panic. It's fine."

"Prince, this will put both the Princess and the Queen in a very awkward position."

Ser Steve looked helpless as he tried to persuade him.

As his swordsmanship instructor, he had to be responsible for his student.

Aemon nodded. "I'll be careful."

That was what he said, but he had other thoughts in mind.

Half the reason he had suddenly hit them was because they had dragged his father Daemon into it. The other half was to provoke Rhaenyra.

Those old women had clearly been deliberately making things difficult for her.

Rhaenyra could not back down, and the royal family could not show weakness before the Oldtown Faction.

He had wanted to make a good start and further ignite Rhaenyra's fighting spirit.

They had justice on their side, so what was there to fear?

But reality differed from what he had expected.

Aemon lowered his head and thought, Anyone with eyes could tell those old women were helpers Alicent had brought in, but she clearly wasn't able to command them properly.

Otherwise, they would not have done something as stupid as insulting the son by cursing the father.

Judging by Alicent's reaction, she probably had not expected it either.

"Looks like power is still in Hand Otto's hands."

Aemon's thoughts turned as he guessed that Alicent's circumstances were similar to Rhaenyra's.

Both were dependents of their fathers.

If he wanted to snuff out the future Dance of the Dragons, the first step was to clearly understand King's Landing's power structure.

On his third day in King's Landing, he had already gained a rough understanding.

Taking the Small Council as an example, it could be divided into three factions.

First, the royalist faction loyal to the King.

Second, the Oldtown Faction led by Hand Otto.

Third, the neutral faction.

The Oldtown Faction was the strongest. Hand Otto was its core figure, while Grand Maester Mellos served as his lackey.

Their main goal was to support Little Aegon in replacing Rhaenyra, then seize even more power for themselves.

With Alicent as Queen, they had no shortage of supporters.

The royalist faction was the weakest.

On the way to the Kingswood Hunt, Aemon had seen the Master of Laws, Lyonel, riding with his eldest son among the procession.

Combined with Harrenhal's special position and that lord's experiences in the original story, he could conclude that Lyonel was a lone loyalist devoted to the royal family, personally elevated by Uncle Viserys.

He had been brought in specifically to deal with the increasingly troublesome Hand Otto.

The remaining Master of Coin, Lyman Beesbury, and Master of Ships, Tyland Lannister, were likely neutrals who stayed out of the power struggle.

The former came from House Beesbury of Honeyholt, whose liege lord was Oldtown Hightower.

No matter how loyal he was to the King, he could not win their trust.

He could only refuse to support either side.

Tyland, meanwhile, came from House Lannister of the Westerlands. Born a few minutes after his twin brother Duke Jason, he was the unfortunate sort who could not inherit the family holdings.

He was a typical fence-sitter. He wanted to imitate Hand Otto, who was likewise born a Second Son, and earn the King's favor, while also using his intelligence to seek private gain.

As a result, neither side liked him, and he was often scolded.

After giving the matter careful thought, Aemon secretly resolved, I'm small and weak. It's enough to pretend I don't understand.

Setting aside the Small Council's intrigues, there was the Court struggle between Rhaenyra and Alicent.

Rhaenyra's so-called Princess Party was, bluntly speaking, another royalist faction.

Or rather, it was another face of Uncle Viserys.

Preserving her status as heir meant safeguarding the royal family's authority from being diminished.

The Oldtown Faction did not dare offend the King, so they could only attack her relentlessly.

Alicent's Queen Party was even more of a joke.

In truth, there was no Queen Party at all—only Hand Otto's Oldtown Faction.

Alicent was merely a tool for her father's struggle for power, a mascot wearing the title of Queen.

Aemon's little face was full of melancholy as he sighed.

He had been hoping to cling to Rhaenyra and Alicent and live a rich, comfortable life.

Now, it seemed he had celebrated too soon.

Neither of them amounted to much. He could not rely on either one.

"Forget it. Better to rely on myself than others."

Aemon rubbed his cheeks, his thoughts jumping to another matter.

According to the original timeline, Hand Otto would soon be dismissed and replaced by Lord Lyonel.

That proved that, in this power struggle, Uncle Viserys, representing royal authority, would still emerge victorious.

Rhaenyra would retain her status as heir, while Alicent would gradually take control of the Oldtown Faction.

On the surface, Viserys alone had gathered power into the hands of his wife and daughter.

He had practically won everything.

"But it also planted the seeds of disaster."

Aemon knew perfectly well how recklessly an unchecked Rhaenyra and a vengeful Alicent would behave.

This would mark the beginning of Court chaos and spur the Black and Green Parties into truly taking shape.

It was like handing a gun to a child—even the dogs by the roadside would get slapped twice.

It was not about who was better, only about who was worse.